


Safe

by acoolegg



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Identity Searching, POV shifts, Romance, assume it takes place after shiro returns, doesn't fit in with current timeline, fem!reader - Freeform, i'm winging this, lotsa people on the castleship now, may deal with some unsavory things, reader also is a sweetheart, reader is a spicy lady
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-11 00:07:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11702670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acoolegg/pseuds/acoolegg
Summary: Much like other disappearing acts, yours was pushed to the side and buried once a juicier story came out. Much like the crew of Kerberos, you found yourself a prisoner of an alien race you didn't know existed. Much like Shiro, you escaped your captors.You are taken in by the paladins and co. of the castleship, along with your rag-tag crew of other ex-slave aliens. You offer your experience and your help to them in return for a place to rest with your companions. You'd like to think that they'd be this nice to anyone that asked for this help, but you have a feeling that your name has preceded you and that an ex-student of yours has pulled some strings.Not really plot-heavy, just writing something because I love Shiro a lot and like building interesting dynamics among characters. Will update when I can.





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

> i watched all of voltron yesterday.  
>  _all of it._  
>  pidge is god-tier waifu and i love her. but i love our good ol' boy shiro more. what can i say? i have a thing for happy, tragic backstory, hot space dads.
> 
> i'm using a prompt list for some structure with these chapters, lol. found [here](http://sunshockk.deviantart.com/art/100-Writing-Prompts-Challenge-330099896)

When the castleship had first received the distress signal and the dire request to board, almost everyone had been against acknowledging it. There hadn't been a video-feed with the request and the audio stream was distorted and contained a lot of crying. It almost sounded fake.

Someone trying to punk their way onto the ship wasn't unheard of and this didn't seem far off.

"I don't trust it." Hunk was the first to speak after the audio cut out, combing his fingers through his dark hair anxiously. He looked at the others, hoping someone would agree. "I mean… We've been fooled by distress signals before. We don't have to be fooled by this one!"

"I'm with Hunk on this. I don't want to have Blue swiped by some jerk again!" Lance shook his head before crossing his arms before him, making an 'X.' "We don't need that kind of stress right now."

Allura turned from the center console and gestured to the screen. "But what if they _are_ in need of help and we just turn them away? Did you hear the screams in that request? The crying? There were _children_ on that ship!" She shook her head, "I can't ignore that. We are the defenders of the universe - we will protect and offer aid to those in need!"

"But what if they _don't_ need it?" Keith, who had seemed mostly sullen during the request, kicked himself off of the wall he had been leaning on. He gestured to the screen, "What are we supposed to do if they _kill_ us? We can't defend the universe if we're dead."

"If they're trying to kill us, we can deal with it then," Allura said firmly. She stepped away from the console and started walking towards the door, her mind clearly already made up. Coran followed her, glancing between his princess and the paladins with worry.

Shiro spoke up, "We can't turn a blind eye to those that ask for help. Like Allura said, _we're_ the defenders of the universe. We can't defend anyone if we don't take risks."

"I still think we should be prepared, in case this _is_ an attack," Pidge offered, moving to grab at the bayards. "A compromise of sorts. We go see what's up and if they start to attack, we fight back."

With a smile, Shiro said, "Good idea, Pidge… Now, let's go see who it is that knocked on our door."

\---

The first thing you did after the transmission was sent was rush towards Maxis and his crying baby girl, trying your best to comfort the distraught pair. The Balmeran man looked up at you as you took the baby into your arms to quell her cries. "Thank you," he whispered, voice cracking.

"No problem," you responded, running your fingers down Vari's back. She stopped crying when you started to sway, almost instantly falling asleep. You turned to look at the rest of your rag-tagged group. A young Galra boy (Plex) clutched onto the hand of an even younger Olkari girl (Skye). The pair stood protectively before the final member of your group, Maxis' father Aries. "We good back there, Privates?" you asked, calling them by their self-proclaimed ranks and offering a small smile to them. They nodded in sync, saluting you with their free hands.

"Yes, Miss! We're making sure Aries is doing alright." Plex turned to look at the old man, furry purple brow quirking up. "You're alright, right?" Skye turned as well, letting go of her friend's hand to crouch before him.

At this, Aries coughed loudly - a dry, throat tearing cough. Skye jumped at that, falling on her backside. His cough drifted off before he chuckled softly at her before he smiled weakly at the boy, "I am alright, children. Do not worry about an old rock like me." He coughed again before looking to you. "Do you think they received the message, Captain?"

"I hope so." Vari cooed as you rubbed her back. "I still haven't figured out the language of the Galras, so the controls are a little wonky for me…" You trailed off and glanced back to the screen, taking in the regal appearance of the white ship before you.

Plex turned back to you, looking remorseful. "I'm sorry, Captain. I still haven't learned--"

"Don't apologize, Plex. It's not your fault. I just… I hope they'll let us board the ship." There was a sudden lurching and a buzz of electricity passed through the ship. The holographic screen lit up before opening up a video-feed dialogue box. A beautiful woman looked at you and your group, but you doubted she actually saw you. You had covered up the video transmission camera so no one could see your group. (They had duct tape in space. Who knew?)

"This is Princess Allura of Altea, granting you permission to board the castleship. We are bringing you in now. If I may ask, how many of you are there?" She had a beautiful voice that matched her face, and a commanding presence to herself.

You responded, "There are six of us, ma'am. Three children, two adults, and an elder man. We mean no harm - we just need some place safe to stay while we get our bearings." Vari nestled her head into your shoulder and you held her closer. Maxis stood up when he noticed that you started to shake.

"You're safe now. We'll be inside the ship, waiting for you. Do not be alarmed." Her smile was beautiful. "You're safe now." With that, the transmission cut out and your ship's hatch opened, revealing that it had connected to an airlock chamber.

You handed Maxis his daughter so she wasn't stirred by your shoulders shaking. No food for days paired with exceptional stress would do that to someone, and you were so close to being safe for just a moment that maybe you would be able to swing a few minutes to rest. To close your eyes and just _forget._

\---

The airlock door finally opened with a cloud of dust, causing the parties on both sides to cough. The first to come through the opening was a Balmeran man holding a baby closely. Following them was a young Olkari girl who held the hand of another, older Blamean man. Shiro mentally counted off who was left. _An adult and a child._

His eyes widened at the furry Galran boy that stepped through next, black eyes glancing around the new area quickly. Allura visibly froze up at the newest addition and moved to step back. He saw her, smiling widely and revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth. "Captain - I found the Princess!" There was a flurry of movements, the paladins reaching for their weapons at this newly perceived threat.

The new boarders all cried out when Keith's sword pointed at the Galran, screaming for them to leave him alone. Everyone was prepared for a fight. At least until the final person stepped out of the chamber and spoke up.

"I'm going to kindly ask that you pull that sword away from Plex _right now_ , or I will personally put an end to you." Everyone turned to look at the newest person, the refugees crying out in relief that they had stepped on. Keith turned his head, not moving his sword an inch. His sword fell from his hands. Shiro nearly passed out.

"What're you doin', Keith? Don't just drop your sword!" Lance cried out.

"Yeah, I'm with Lance - what's happening?" Hunk chimed in.

At this, the refugees ran to their hero, hiding behind them with fearful eyes. The dust had finally settled and everyone could take in their newest passenger.

She had wild hair and stern eyes, arms crossed in a defiant position. Her lips pulled into a sneer at the pulled weapons. The boy - Plex - clutched onto her leg without hesitation and she moved her hand to stroke his head comfortingly.

Shiro was the first to say her name, stepping towards her slightly. At that, the other paladins shared looks of awe and didn't move. "Did I hear that correctly? That's…" Lance trailed off and repeated her name after a moment.

"The Garrison instructor that disappeared eight years ago after volunteering to test a new prototype," Pidge continued. "She was thought to be dead… But… She doesn't look different from back then."

"She was Shiro's mentor," Keith murmured.

Shiro murmured her name again. She looked at him with anger before it fell into shock. "Takashi? Takashi Shirogane?" she asked. When Shiro nodded, she smiled widely and laughed. "Yeesh! What a small universe, huh?" Her companions followed as she moved forward, watching as her stress fell off. "I wasn't expecting to _ever_ see another human out here."

"Who is that?" Allura asked quietly, grabbing at Hunk's arm.

He repeated her name before adding, "She was a Garrison pilot that went missing a long time ago. Guess she taught Shiro."

"She doesn't look old enough _to_ teach him," she responded. "Unless…"

"What are you doing here, ma'am?" Shiro asked when she reached him. She now held Plex's hand, stroking the back of his palm comfortingly. She had clearly grown a soft-side since they had last seen one another.

"You know… escaping Galran slave ships with my cellmates and the leader's son. Ah hah… hah hah…" She started laughing a bit too hard before leaning forward, setting her forehead against Shiro's chestplate. She sniffed loudly and spoke with a watery tone, "Lucky I ran into some friendly faces, even if you've changed a bit." She was crying, no doubt. "We're safe now, right?"

Shiro could feel everyone looking at his back, then at the Galran boy, then to Allura. He shared a look with the Princess, who offered him a small nod. He brought his hand up and set it on her shoulder, giving the back of her head a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, you're safe now."


End file.
